Daily Times beat writer Anthony J. SanFilippo takes you inside the locker rooms of the Philadelphia Flyers and the rest of the NHL.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

ALL-STAR SHAME

Well Jeff Carter made it....

...

...

Guess you're waiting for me to throw another name or two at you? Well, don't hold your breath.

In what has become the biggest joke in professional sports, the NHL All-Star game has left several of the league's top players off their rosters, including three deserving Flyers - Simon Gagne, Mike Richards and Kimmo Timonen.

But it's not just Flyers' players that got stiffed.

The Devils' Patrik Elias is tied for fifth in the league in scoring with 46 points and he's not on the roster. Washington's Nicklas Backstrom has 45 points, is in the top 10 in the league in scoring and is also among the missing.

And how about the duo of David Krejci and Phil Kessel in Boston who each have 41 points and are a big reason why the Bruins have the best record in hockey at the halfway point.

On defense, where's the Caps Mike Green, who leads all Eastern defensemen with 10 goals? How about Boston's Dennis Wideman who not only is ninth in the NHL in points among defensemen with 26 (only six behind league leaders and All-Stars Dan Boyle and Mark Streit who have 32) and also leads the NHL with a plus-25 rating?

The biggest problems are allowing fans from certain cities to stuff the ballot boxes and limiting the roster to 21 players per side.

It's understandable that the league wants at least one player from each team, so expand the rosters then. That's what they do in the other sports. Would it be so wrong to expand the rosters to say 26 players for one exhibition game to make sure the most deserving players are in?

And if it's a logistical concern for space on the bench, allow teams to dress 21 per period and sub guys out between periods or something.

Also, does the league really think by allowing fans in Montreal to dictate who's starting the All-Star game that it's going to appeal to casual fans in the U.S?

Here's a prediction - the All-Star Game rating will be utterly minuscule this year. Another disaster by a league office that has no bleeping clue how to market itself properly.

About Me

I grew up in Philadelphia, and was as passionate a Philly sports fan as there was, until I was hired by WIP raido.
Then I became a jaded SOB, which gave me the perfect demeanor for a job as a sports writer.
And just because I cover hockey, it doesn't mean I'm a complete and total puckhead. This blog will primarily be about the Flyers and the NHL, but don't be surprised if I weigh in on other sports subjects too.
I also am a contributor to Sports Illustrated, and can occasionally be heard spinning my hockey rhetoric on the radio both at WIP 610 AM and ESPN 950 AM.
I am a graduate of St. Joseph's Prep High School (1991) and attended both American University and St. Joseph's University for College.
I live in Springfield, PA with my better half Sarah, my three children Anthony Jr. (15), Amelia (11) and Andrew (9), Sarah's two children Ethan (9) and Allyson (7) an annoying cat (Danni) and a new beagle puppy (Ringo).
Yes, hockey keeps me sane.